Главная

четверг, 16 августа 2012 г.

A Fascinating Interview with George Sandford: Part 1

George Sandford,
image: www.english4hr.com

George Sandford is a Business English tutor and consultant who is originally from England but is now working in Poland. His website, "English4HR", relates his incredible success story: "Born in Manchester and brought up in London, from a childhood of illiteracy and dyslexia, George has made an incredible journey that has taken him through national and commercial radio appearances, community work, international conferences, working with management gurus and publishing with Cambridge University Press."

I first came across George Sandford's work through some twitter update. Then I started reading his blog, learned more about his textbooks on his website and realized that this teacher's contribution to the Human Resources language training is unique and very valuable! Just a week ago I wrote to him and asked for an interview, and he responded my five questions about his work in Poland, his experience teaching Business English and why it is important, as well as his textbooks. Today I'm posting the first part of our interview, and tomorrow you'll read the rest! This is a unique interview given to OnlinEnglish.

Q

A course in Business
English usually has a more narrow focus and costs considerably more than a
General English course. I find that some Russian/Ukrainian business
professionals who are fluent enough in English might think it's not worth
taking such a course. What are the benefits of taking a course in Business
English?

A

I would question that
the difference in cost is so great but all choices about what book to buy
should be based on need. For someone who wants to extend their English business
vocabulary, a business book is essential. Furthermore, each aspect of business,
e.g. accounting, marketing, finance, etc. has its own specific terms and models
and as a native, I still find myself learning new things so there’s no doubt
that it’s of benefit to a second language learner.

Q

In general, how is a
Business English course different from a course for the HR personnel?

A

Simply in scope and
depth; a business book usually covers issues such as company structures,
leadership, communication and broad topics such as business ethics. An HR book
focuses specifically on the HR function and its activities and goes into much
more detail.

Q

There are many
textbooks out there that one can use to teach a course in Business English, how
is your Business English Phrasebook different?

As a teacher I have
used books such as Market Leader and Intelligent Business and found them to be
very boring to work with. Usually, topics are covered in a very general way
which lacks connection and authenticity. It’s clear that many business books
are written by teachers and academics who have had no real life business
experience. I have worked for 25 years as a self-employed business person and
worked in many industry sectors and coached managers. All my material is based
on things that actually happened and are indirectly auto-biographical. For
example, in the discipline section of English for Human Resources, the audio
starts with a phone call to HR from a manager saying, ‘I’m sending you someone
to sack!’ It happened!

Regarding the business
phrasebook, as with all materials I produce, I set out to make it entertaining
and fun to work with as well as educational. There are dialogues that students
can act out and plenty of useful phrases that people use in a natural business
context. Answers are included so it works for self-study as well as teachers’
material. Because it is an ebook, it is easy to jump from question to answer
and back again. There are also grammar explanations for common tense use in
certain situations. In short, it’s realistic, interesting and easy to work
with.

We will continue this interview in a post tomorrow: don't miss it. And if you would like to check out and purchase one of these books, I highly recommend them! Please, click here to find out more.